Ultimately, they vacated the premises, but not before fighting the Hornets for every inch of ground in a smashmouth Class 3A quarterfinal victory that was not decided until late.

Pueblo County, the 2006 3A runner-up, is 11-1 and will be at Berthoud in next weekend’s semifinals. Upstart Fossil Ridge ended 9-3.

Ultimately, the Hornets had just enough line play, rushing and defense to advance to within a game of playing for another championship.

Rushing behind the likes of Buddy Gonzales and Jarret Martinez, Joe Pullara (22 carries, 120 yards, three touchdowns) and Gio Rider (20-91, two touchdowns) carried Pueblo County and it needed every bit of it.

“I credit (the SaberCats), they fought and didn’t give up,” Rider said. “We did what we had to do.”

Said Wilson: “Luckily, our offense was up to the task.”

Pueblo County got on the board first on a Rider 3-yard run and the game’s pattern was set – the Hornets tried to run away and hide, but were either caught or just a step ahead.

The Hornets led 16-8 at the break, increased it to 24-14, then 30-14, before assorted late moves kept Pueblo County feeling uneasy.

From the single wing to flooding a side with receivers, Fossil Ridge kept the Hornets chasing, but never gave up the lead after it was 8-8 midway through the second quarter.

“We were just good enough defensively,” Wilson said. “I’ll take that every week.”

Fossil Ridge always seemed to have an answer. Mike Lamb scored three touchdowns, two in the fourth quarter on a backside screen and a streak route down the sideline from quarterback Brian Leistikow, but the SaberCats missed a couple of two-point conversions – that the Hornets routinely attempt – that would have kept it a one-touchdown difference, and the SaberCats had three turnovers after the break, including two interceptions.

“You’re not going to beat any team with that many turnovers,” Fossil Ridge coach Clint Fick said. “There were three or four times when I had given up, but we kept coming back. (The Hornets) are just a fine football team, and I’m so proud of my kids.”

Neil Devlin, originally from the Philadelphia area, has covered high school sports in Colorado for more than 30 years, writing about the people, athletes and events of the Rocky Mountain prep sports world.

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